Sealing device for refrigerating apparatus



April 1936 c. o. BARR SEALING DEVICE FOR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 2Sheets-Sheet.- 1

Filed June 30, 1954 7 m a ML g Z a April 28, 1936. Q Q BARR 2,038,990

SEALING DEVICE FOR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed June 30, 1934 2Sheets-Sheet 2 fmJezzZZfl- CharleaOBarr:

[Patented Apr. 28, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,038,990 SEALINGnnvrcn FOB nnr'ammma TUS Charles 0. Barr, Chicago, 111., aasignor toSealzit Clair-notation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of lili- 1:

Application June so, 1934, Serial No. 133,211 Claims. (01. 220-14) Thisinvention relates to sealing devices for refrigerating apparatus, andmore particularly to a device for holding ice cream cans or the likeproperly spaced from the walls of a refrigerating 1 pheric air into andout of said space, thereby minimizing the production of frost withinthis space and also increasing the refrigerative emciency of theapparatus.

The use of paper cans instead of metal cans for the storage of ice creamis becoming increasingly popular for economical as well as otherreasons, but one of the objections to these paper cans has been theirtendency to crumple or collapse when the ice cream level within thembecomes low so as to leave the upper portions of the walls unsupported.I

One of the purposes of my present invention is to provide a sealingdevice which not only seals the surrounding chamber but also embracesand supports the upper end of the can so as to prevent its collapse inuse in the container. With this end in view, my invention contemplatesan internal bead on the sealing device adapted to engage beneath thebead or flange at the upper end of the paper can so that this end willbe supported by the device, and in furtherance of this object the deviceitself is shaped to snugly engage the opposed wall, whether it be a sidewall or the wall of the opening into the container, so as to hold thecan not only against sidewise movements but against collapsing, and inaddition to hold the can against turning movements which would beoccasioned by the dipping of the ice cream from the interior of the can.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readilyappreciated as the same become better understood by reference to thefollowing description when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a cabinet or container with an icecream can therein showing Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the sealingdevice itself, a portion being broken away to show the underlying partsI Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified form of thesealing device adapted for cooperation with a plurality of cans;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the ,double can sealing device;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view-on the line 8-! of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a similar view on the line 9-9 of Fig. "I.

Referring to the drawings more in detail and with'particular referencefirst to Figs. 1 to 4, in-

clusive, illustrating the single can type of device, reference characterII indicates generally a container or cabinet adapted to receive andcontain ice cream cans from which the ice cream is dispensed at sodafountains or the like.

The depth of these containers in customarily considerably greater thanthe height of the cans, whether metal or paper, to be stored therein.Consequently with the form of the invention disclosed in these figures,I prefer when paper cans are used to support the can somewhat above thebottom of the container upon a block or pedestal I! so that the top ofthe can is in proximity to the opening l3 through which the can isinserted into and removed from the container. If the chamber in thecontainer is of the same diameter as the opening, as it sometimes is,the pedestal may be dispensed with.

The sealing device in this instance comprises an annular ring offlexible elastic material, such as rubber or the like, the ring beingindicated generally by reference character II and being of a size tosnugly embrace the upper portion of' the can and to conform toirregularities of the can both as to size and circularity. The ringshaped body of the sealing device flts down over the upper end of thecan l5, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and comprises an inwardly extendingflange or shoulder I 6 adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the canbody and an inwardly projecting annular bead l1 adapted to embrace thebody beneath the rim or bead l8 of the can.

' It should be stated at this point that when paper cans are employedthey are customarily provided for dispensing purposes at their upperends with such a rim or bead i 8 as disclosed and which is usually madeof metal for purposes of rigidity and fixedly united to the upper marginof the can body by curling or otherwise securing the parts together.

The bead ll' en aging beneath the rim or bead It supports the upper endof the can and prevents it from collapsing when the can contents havebeen partially or practically removed. In order to provide a substantialand rigid support for the upper end of the can, the sealing device isformed to provide at its perimeter an outside face is of substantialarea which fits snugly within the opening ll into the container, therebyaffording a substantial support for the can. It will be observed thatthe sealing device fits well down into the opening it so as not tointerfere with the usual cover with which the container is equipped.

The sealing device is provided at one or more points around the bodywith a handle or handles 22 preferably formed by molding the materialinto the shape shown in Figs. 8 and 4, which forms a radially inwardlydirected handle disposed below the plane of the upper face of thesealing ring so that the fingers may be inserted beneath this handle forthe purpose of lifting the device of! the can. This handle is ofsubstantial width and is undercut as indicated at 28 to provide not onlya finger hold but to also form a relatively sharp straight edge 24 whichat its inner margin is adapted to serve as a dipper scraper by whichsurplus ice cream can be removed from the dipper by simply drawing theopen end of the dipper as it is removed from the can across this edge.Below the bead I! the body of the sealing device is flared outwardly asindicated at 20 to facilitate the application of the device to the upperend of the can.

The sealing device just described is adapted for application to a singlecan. Present day cabinets, however, are usually constructed to providenot only single can compartments but also larger compartments which areadapted for the reception and storage of either brick ice cream or aplurality of ice cream cans as desired. A sealing device embodying myinvention and adapted for this type of container compartment isillustrated in Figs. 5 to 9, inclusive, of the drawings. In Figs. 5 and6 reference character 25 indicates the container and 26 and 21 aplurality of cans set side by side in the container. The sealing devicein this instance, indicated generally by reference character 28, isshaped to provide a pair of openings, the surrounding walls of each ofwhich are adapted to snugly embrace the upper ends of the cans as shownin Fig. 5.

Said surrounding walls in this instance are also provided with inwardlyextending beads 20 adapted to engage beneath the can bead or rim 3|, andwith an overlying flange 32 adapted to rest upon the upper edges of thecans.

Instead of engaging the opening in the container through which the cansare inserted into and removed from the container, the sealing device inthis instance is provided with a peripheral outwardly extending flange33 adapted to engage the surrounding opposed walls of the container andthereby seal the space between the cans and the container. The flange 33of the sealing device in this instance includes portions 34 ofsubstantial area filling the space between the opposed curved portionsof the walls surrounding the can receiving openings so that the entirespace of the container around the cans is covered and sealed.

In this form of the invention an upstanding handle 35 located betweenthe can receiving openings is preferably employed, although the flatdipper sorapingtypeofhandleiiimtratedinrigs.

1to4,inclusive,maybeemployedinlieuofthe' upstanding handle if preferred.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that my invention provides notonly an effective seal between the container and the can or canscontainedthereinsoastopreventaircirculation around the cans and alsoprevent spilling of ice cream or other material into the spacearound thecans, but it also holds the cans against tuming when the ice cream isbeing dipped therefrom, supports and prevents collapsing of paper canswhen such are employed. and furthermore provides a dipper -scraper in aconvenient location and also a handle by which the device may be removedfrom the can or cans when desired.

Various modifications in the structural details of the illustratedembodiment may obviously be resorted to without departing from theessence of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sealing device for refrigerating apparatus comprising a flexibleelastic body adapted to fit the upper end of an ice cream can, theperimeter of said body being shaped to contact the opposed walls of acan container so as to seal the space between said container and saidcan. the body being provided with a handle for removal of the same fromthe can, said'handle being disposed inwardly of the perimeter of thebody below the plane of the upper surface of said body.

2. A sealing device for refrigerating apparatus comprising a flexibleelastic body adapted to fit the upper end of an ice cream can, said bodyprojecting upwardly above the can and being provided with an inwardlyprojecting portion disposed over the can and beneath the plane of theupper surface of the body, said projection being adapted to serve as adipper scraper and as a handle for the removal of the device from thecan.

3. A sealing device for refrigerating apparatus comprising a flexibleelastic body adapted to fit the upper end of an ice cream can, said bodybeing provided above the level of the can with an inward projectionadapted to serve as a dipper scraper and a handle and being providedbelow the top of the can with an internal bead engageable beneath acircumferential head on the can.

4. A device for sealing the space between an ice cream can and thesurrounding surface of a refrigerating cabinet comprising an annularbody formed of flexible elastic material provided with a relatively wideoutside face portion of substantially uniform diameter throughout itswidth to afford a snug, frictional flt with said surrounding cabinetsurface and an inside face portion grooved to afford an interlocking,snug engagement with a formation on the outer surface of the upperportion of a can, the body being solid between said face portions and ofsubstantial radial thickness and the outside, relatively wide faceportion and the inside face portion which snugly embraces the upperportion of a can being arranged in axially offset relation to each otherso as to cause compression forces applied laterally against said outsideface to be transmitted to a can in the region of the inside face portionwhich snugly embraces the can, whereby a can will be firmly supportedand held against turning within the cabinet.

5. A device for sealing the space between an ice cream can and thesurrounding surface of a refrigerating cabinet comprising an annularbody formed of flexible elastic material provided with a relatively wideoutside face portion of substantially uniform diameter throughout itswidth to aiford a snug, frictional fit with said surrounding cabinetsurface and an inside face portion grooved to afford an interlocking,snug engagement with a part of a can to prevent relative movementaxially therebetween, the body being of substantial radial thickness andthe outside straight face portion and inside interlocking face portionbeing arranged relative to each other so as to cause compression forcesapplied laterally against said outside face portion to be transmitted toa can in the region of said interlocking engagement.

6. A device for sealing the space between an ice cream can and thesurrounding surface of a refrigerating cabinet comprising an annularbody formed of flexible elastic material provided with a relatively wideoutside face portion of substantially uniform diameter throughout itswidth to afford a snug friction fit with said surrounding cabinetsurface, and an inside face portion having an inwardly directed flangeto engage the upper edge of a can and an inwardly directed bead spacedaxially from said flange to snugly embrace a can beneath a peripheralbead formed on the latter, the flange and bead on the body and the upperedge and peripheral head on a can being relatively proportioned andpositioned to form an interlocking connection between said can and bodyto prevent relative axial movement therebetween, the outside faceportion and the inside interlocking face portion being arranged relativeto each other so as to cause compression forces applied laterallyagainst said outside face to be transmitted to a can in the region ofsaid interlocking engagement.

CHARLES O. BARR.

